Meet Dr Asif Munaf.
Over a year ago, the not-so-good doctor was dropped as a contestant from The Apprentice spin-off show after he was accused of posting antisemitic comments on social media.
Asif Munaf has previously apologised “for any offence caused by” his posts about Israel, but denied antisemitism.
But the Board of Deputies of British Jews complained to the BBC on Wednesday about his “despicable antisemitism”.
Munaf will still be seen on the main programme but won’t appear on the relevant episode of You’re Fired.
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A BBC statement said: “We can confirm that the individual concerned will not feature as a guest on any additional upcoming BBC content relating to The Apprentice.”
In late January, shortly before the latest series of the TV contest started, Munaf said in a statement: “I apologise for any offence caused by my online content/social media.
“It was not my intention to offend anyone, and I am of course open to all views. The beliefs I hold and have shared are based on the values that I was brought up with.”
In a separate statement on X, he said he had used “ill-judged & emotional language”.
At that time, a spokesperson for The Apprentice said: “After filming had taken place, we were made aware of concerns over social media posts that Asif had made after he had left the process.”
Producers “took immediate action and spoke to Asif in detail” and gave him “specialised training to understand why his posts may cause offence”, they said.
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In one post on Thursday, he said that “Anti-Zionism is not racism or antisemitism”.
Yeah, I am not really feeling the sincerity of his apology, the effectiveness of the “specialised training to understand why his posts may cause offence,” nor his own belief that what he is posting is merely “anti-Zionism-not-antisemitism.”
Here’s a sample of his recent posts:
What’s more, his antisemitism is actually also a classic case of projection.
The guy who says “Jews are born with the inherent ability to deceive”, folks:
A suspended doctor is selling sick notes online to customers who want to go on holiday, take months off work for alleged Covid infection or care for an ill dog, The Telegraph can reveal.
Asif Munaf, who was suspended from the medical register over anti-Semitic social media posts, runs Dr Sick Ltd, a company that offers same-day sick notes for as little as £29.
Without any face-to-face or phone consultation, Telegraph reporters were able to obtain medical certificates granting five months off work for Covid, six weeks for anxiety over a sick pet, and four weeks of home working to enable them to go on holiday abroad.
All three notes were issued within hours of the requests being made. A dossier of evidence has been shared with the General Medical Council (GMC), which regulates doctors, and the Care Quality Commission (CQC), the healthcare watchdog.
The revelations are likely to reignite concern over Britain’s growing sick note culture. Workers took 148.9 million sick days last year, an 11 per cent rise on a decade ago. The surge prompted a crackdown by former prime minister Rishi Sunak, who proposed stripping GPs of the power to sign people off work amid fears the system is fuelling a productivity crisis.
On Saturday, Helen Whately, the shadow work and pensions secretary, condemned the “rogue” Dr Sick Ltd as “a symptom of a deeper sickness in our welfare system”, and criticised Labour for scrapping the Tories’ planned fit note reforms.
The former Conservative health minister said: “Sick notes to care for your dog or sunbathe in Malta signed off within hours, no ID, no checks, no link to the NHS. This rogue website is a symptom of a deeper sickness in our welfare system.
“We need an end to the system where it is easier to get a sick note than a job. Labour scrapped our reforms to the fit note system, and now we are living with the consequences.
“Too often, decisions are made without evidence, without scrutiny, and without consequence. Sick notes have become a pathway to permanent dependency, trapping the very people who need real help in a system that’s quietly given up on them.”
I will give him this, though: Dr Sick Ltd is a very appropriate name for his company.
